Organization Behavior - Publications - Faculty & Research

Article

The Contingent Nature of Public Policy and the Growth of U.S. Commercial Banking

By: Christopher Marquis and Zhi Huang

That public policy affects organizational behaviors is well accepted, but less explored is how these effects may depend on other external environmental factors. We investigate how policy is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to understand the growth of... View Details

Keywords: Policy; Organizational Culture; Strategy; Commercial Banking; Growth and Development Strategy; United States

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Ranjay Gulati is the Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor of Business Administration and the former Unit Head of the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School. His pathbreaking research, which focuses on unlocking organizational and unleashing... View Details

Keywords: biotechnology; computer; financial services; industrial goods; information technology industry; pharmaceuticals; professional services; retailing

Silvan Baier

Silvan Baier is a doctoral student in Organizational Behavior at HBS and the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. He studies how social structures shape and are shaped by the organization, spread, and evaluation of ideas and people. In his research, he... View Details

December 2002
Article

Business Enterprises and Global Worlds

By: G. Jones

The role of business enterprise in integrating economies is one of the central historical themes of the last two centuries. Although globalization—both in its current iteration and in its nineteenth-century form—has been widely studied, the role of the firm, as opposed... View Details

Keywords: Macroeconomics; Multinational Firms and Management; Organizations; Emerging Markets; Behavior; Business Ventures; United States

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26 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

7 Leadership Principles for Managing in the Time of Coronavirus

an example, model behaviors that are community friendly and supportive. Compassion is extremely important at this time. We may rise to the occasion if we’re fortunate to have a good team around us, but there are many people in our View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch; Health

03 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Dealing with the ‘Irrational’ Negotiator

Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond. The following excerpt describes strategies and tactics to overcome another party's counterproductive behavior and keep the deal on track. These are ideas that... View Details

Keywords: by Deepak Malhotra & Max H. Bazerman

July 2023
Article

Deep Responsibility and Irresponsibility in the Beauty Industry

By: Geoffrey Jones

This article employs the concept of deep responsibility to assess the social responsibility of the beauty industry over time. It shows that many of today’s problems with the industry have deep historical roots. Products have too many ingredients that are potential... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

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22 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

10 Reasons to Design a Better Corporate Culture

excerpt, the authors outline the top 10 lessons of the best practitioners, from ING Direct to Build-A-Bear Workshop to Harrah's Entertainment.We can learn a great deal from organizations whose strong and adaptive ownership cultures give... View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser & Joe Wheeler

03 Oct 2016
News

How to Manage a Toxic Employee

01 May 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, May 1, 2018

2018 Atlas of Moral Psychology In Search of Moral Equilibrium: Person, Situation, and Their Interplay in Behavioral Ethics By: Lee, Julia J., and F. Gino Abstract—This comprehensive and cutting-edge volume maps out the terrain of moral... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 1985 (Revised June 1993)
Case

Turner Construction Co.

By: Frank V. Cespedes

In June, 1984, a vice president at Turner Construction Co. must decide whether to approve a construction project being considered by one of Turner's territorial offices and how to manage that territory general manager's apparent reluctance to pursue another account... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Projects; Market Entry and Exit; Integration; Contracts; Marketing Strategy; Sales; Business or Company Management; Business Offices; Geographic Location; Construction Industry

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Employee Selection as a Control System

By: Dennis Campbell

Theories from the economics, management control, and organizational behavior literatures predict that when it is difficult to align incentives by contracting on output, aligning preferences via employee selection may provide a useful alternative. This study... View Details

Keywords: Management Systems; Governance Controls; Employees; Selection and Staffing; Motivation and Incentives; Decision Making; Business Model

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13 Mar 2005
Research & Ideas

Reinforcing Values: A Public Dressing Down

always done. And when an organization has had a succession of leaders, resistance to change is even stronger. A legacy of disappointment and distrust creates an environment in which employees automatically condemn the next turnaround... View Details

Keywords: by David A. Garvin & Michael A. Roberto

17 May 2016
First Look

May 17, 2016

2016 New York: Oxford University Press Consumers, Corporations, and Public Health: A Case-Based Approach to Sustainable Business By: John A. Quelch. Abstract—The public health footprint associated with corporate behavior has come under... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2022
Book

Purpose + Profit: How Business Can Lift Up the World

By: George Serafeim

The roadmap and best practices to reap the enormous value that can emerge when your business prioritizes social and environmental goals—such as climate change, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability—right alongside the pursuit of profit.

We not only... View Details

Keywords: ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Profitability; Business And Society; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Goals and Objectives; Social Issues; Environmental Sustainability; Value Creation; Organizational Change and Adaptation

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Forthcoming
Article

The Anatomy of a Hospital System Merger: The Patient Did Not Respond Well to Treatment

By: Raffaella Sadun, Martin Gaynor, Adam Sacarny, Chad Syverson and Shruthi Venkatesh

Despite the continuing US hospital merger wave, it remains unclear how mergers change, or fail to change, hospital behavior and performance. We open the “black box” of hospital practices through a mega-merger between two for-profit chains. Benchmarking the merger's... View Details

Keywords: Performance Improvement; Mergers and Acquisitions; Health Industry

April 2014
Article

Awards Unbundled: Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment

By: Nava Ashraf, Oriana Bandiera and Scott S. Lee

Organizations often use non-monetary awards to incentivize performance. Awards may affect behavior through several mechanisms: by conferring employer recognition, by enhancing social visibility, and by facilitating social comparison. In a nationwide health worker... View Details

Keywords: Social Comparison; Awards; Optimal Expectactions; Zambia; Status and Position; Performance Expectations; Motivation and Incentives; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry; Zambia

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Research Summary

The Unexpected Effects of Workplace Transparency

By: Ethan S. Bernstein

Workplace transparency provides a foundation for learning and control, and therefore for satisfaction and productivity. Yet my research shows that an obsession with transparency-enhancing tools and structures can backfire, producing the unintended consequences of... View Details

Keywords: Transparency; Privacy; Productivity; Field Experiments; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Behavior; Social and Collaborative Networks; Human Resources; Leadership; United States; Europe; China; Japan

December 2022 (Revised February 2025)
Module Note

How Do You Compete and Cooperate? Understanding Strategic Interactions

By: Jorge Tamayo

This module examines how firms interact strategically, both competitively and cooperatively, as they create and capture value. Although the module focuses on strategic interactions between competitors, an organization's relationships with buyers, suppliers, and... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Cooperation; Value Creation; Business and Stakeholder Relations

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